At the Price of Oblivion
by dreameronderse
Summary: It was all according to plan, but neither L nor Kira expects three young geniuses to join the Kira case: L's top three successors. Kira is put at a disadvantage with four wildly different detectives on his trail, and L is also finding the new additions to his surroundings a challenge. L/Mello, one sided Near/Mello, one sided Matt/Mello. M for language, violence, and adult content.
1. I - Enter the Chaos

**Author's Note—**

Hi, dear readers!

I'm aware that L/Mello isn't a very popular pairing, but hopefully this story will introduce just how lovely of an idea it is! I've shipped L/Mello for a very long time, and while the shotacon possibility is just as nice, it isn't exactly my OTP when it comes to Death Note.

In addition, spoilers galore! If you haven't finished Death Note, stop reading here.

**PLEASE READ: IMPORTANT PLOT INFORMATION****—**

I am very well aware that L is ten years older than Mello in canon. However, in this story, the timeline will be altered. The Kira plot still takes place. Nearly everything in the main series will remain the same except for a couple of things.

Firstly, Mello will only be three years younger than L. Also, the real differences between this story and what is canon take place when looking at L's death. Mello, Near, and Matt are only introduced after it is discovered that L has died; however, I will have this excluded from my timeline. The Wammy boys will involve themselves with the Kira case voluntarily.

**Summary/Prompt— **

It was all according to plan for both Light and L, but what neither of the opposing forces expects is the involvement of three young geniuses in the Kira case: L's top three successors. Kira is put at a disadvantage with what is now four wildly different detectives that have joined forces on his trail, and L himself is also finding the new additions to his surroundings a challenge. L/Mello, one sided Near/Mello, one sided Matt/Mello. Rated M for adult content, language, and violence.

* * *

**At the Price of Oblivion**

I – Enter the Chaos

* * *

_Ryuuzaki,_

_ One has just reported that both Two and Three have gone missing. One states that it is highly probable that they are headed your way. I trust that you will know what to do._

_ –R_

In the dark room, a young man's ghastly face was lit up by the glow of his laptop. His brow furrowed as he scanned the text displayed on the screen in front of him. Emails directly sent to this particular address only come from two other trusted sources, one being Wammy—current code name Watari—and Roger, who was currently managing the orphanage. This particular email was from Roger, marked "URGENT".

"Damn."

The detective gritted his teeth and closed the laptop, bringing his hands to rest atop his knees. He couldn't say he hadn't expected this possibility; however, it was a very undesirable turn of events.

The involvement of the successors in this case—especially when dealing with Two—was incredibly risky and nothing short of a death wish. Yes, Two was highly intelligent, but according to the information he had, he was also unpredictable, and an explosive ally would only endanger chances of L finally capturing Light Yagami as Kira. This operation was down to the detail enough already, and with Two on the way—with Three in tow, nonetheless—things were bound to become chaotic.

L sighed and leaned back on the sofa, relaxing from his usual crouched over stance. Both Light and the others were sleeping at their own houses—even still, ever the paranoid man, he allowed himself a quick check of the security cameras, reassuring himself that he and Watari were the only people in the building. His infamous hunched-over posture gave his back incredible pain, but he couldn't allow either his allies or his enemies to gain a solid idea on what the detective was truly like.

The messy, unkempt hair and odd behaviors were highly exaggerated from the moment L met the Japanese Task Force, and even more so after meeting his first suspect: the popular and academically advanced Light Yagami, son of Soichiro Yagami. The façade was uncomfortable, but it gave him a unique upper hand—if he was ever in a situation in which his enemy would have to rattle him for information, they would be at a complete loss when they discovered L was nothing like Ryuuzaki.

L glanced out the window, as if expecting an answer to be written somewhere on one of the surrounding buildings. He had very little idea as to when Two and Three would arrive, or if they even would. After all, it wasn't a one-hundred percent chance that the Kira case was what drove the pair out of Wammy's House, especially when considering Two's supposed nature.

But it wasn't like One to make an open statement like that without being extremely certain, L thought with a slight frown, closing his eyes tiredly. The faint glow of the computer screen remained visible even with the source being gone and his eyelids closing his line of vision from the outside. He couldn't be positively sure, but common sense told the detective he might as well try to get a good night's sleep; tomorrow was going to be, for lack of a better word, unpredictable.


	2. II-Enter the Kira Case

**Author's Note/Warning: **From here, there will be quite a bit of language, hence the rating. In addition to this, both Matt and Mello smoke.

Thanks to my lovely beta, Annalisse Rubisher!

* * *

**At the Price of Oblivion**

II – Enter the Kira Case

* * *

"For fuck's sake, Matt, fucking slow down!"

The driver in question only grinned in response. The two runaways were speeding down the freeway in a brand new—and not to mention stolen—bright red sports car. It was roughly three in the morning, and Mello was both irritated and silently grateful that there had been no police cars so far. Matt loved cars, and didn't seem to mind the fact that they were topping 100 miles per hour on the dimly lit road as long as he was able to have his fun.

Another quick glance at Matt revealed he had just lit a cigarette, now holding the steering wheel with only one hand. Mello snarled and snatched it from his lips, taking a defiant drag from it as Matt stared open-mouthed. "Close your mouth. And watch the road before you get both of us killed!"

The redhead frowned but obediently turned his attention back to the front. Mello sighed and took another drag from the cigarette in his hand. Mello liked to think that he wasn't as much of an addict as Matt was when it came to smoking—he'd gotten over his frequent habit years ago and had switched to dark chocolate, though he would admittedly sneak in his nicotine here and there. The blond sighed and rolled down the window to flick the ashes out into the wind. "Hey, Matt."

Matt nodded. "Yeah."

There was an awkward moment of silence. Initially, Mello had intended to perhaps confide in his friend about how anxious he was regarding meeting up with L for the first time, but at that moment quickly decided against it. Mello was the hardcore, fearless leader—showing fear, even to Matt, would ruin his character completely. Instead, he brought the cigarette back to his lips and responded with a slow exhale, "When do you think we're going to get there, anyway? You sure we're not lost?"

Matt rolled his eyes from behind his goggles. They weren't practical to wear in the least, but the teenager scarcely went without them. "I'm guessing another hour, tops. I was able to track down where the email originated from—it was _really_fucking hard, though. L's security is tougher than the fucking CIA, I bet."

There was another drift into wordlessness after that, only the sound of the tires on the road and the wind rushing against the car replacing any conversation. Mello released the butt of his cigarette out the window and leaned partially out the window, eyes closed and the wind whipping his hair around his face.

He was nervous. It had been years since he had talked to L—and it had never been in person, either. Nobody at Wammy's House, with the exception of the adults in charge, had ever seen the great L in person. All they knew was that they aspired to be like him.

L would probably be far from welcoming the two of them, Mello mused, with his face still bathing in the wind. But that didn't matter. Ever since he had sat down with all the other kids at the orphanage and had a group conversation with L for the first time via laptop, he knew that he would never be satisfied until he saw the man in the flesh. He tried so hard to please L, without ever having seen his face. And yet, over years and years of studying and pure misery, he was still in second place—under Near. Number One.

At least Near wouldn't get to see L before he did. Mello opened his eyes and frowned. He could see thousands of little lights from the approaching skyscrapers now. But there wasn't even any satisfaction in knowing that; Near didn't even care about L. Hell, Mello was almost certain that Near didn't even like him. He never spoke about him unless questioned by Roger or Mr. Wammy. He never displayed interest in the scoreboards. He even went as far as to requesting to sit out of the rare group chats they would have with L. It sent a snarl over the blond's features thinking about him. Near didn't deserve first place.

"Hey, you done sulking over there? Close the damn window."

Matt's voice shook him out of his thoughts and he pulled the switch up with a scowl at his friend. Even if Matt was sometimes hard to stand, Mello was grateful to have grown up with him. Matt had been his only friend, and the only person to put up with all of Mello's shit—including all of the fights, all of the rules broken, and all of the verbal lashings. It was because of Matt that Mello first became aware of his temper, and had since been more careful not to lose his cool.

Mello's expression softened at the thought and he breathed out softly. "I'm going to sleep. Wake me when we're there, okay?"

"You got it, boss."

* * *

"Ryuuzaki?"

L blinked sleepily, glancing up at a blurry figure. Watari stood over him with a familiar, friendly smile. He gingerly helped pull L up to a sitting position and gestured to the coffee that sat on the table in front of the sofa he was on. "The task force should be arriving in roughly half an hour. I thought you might like to be up with enough time to prepare."

The detective nodded groggily and reached for his coffee. Watari had to hide a smile at how childish L looked—the man had raised L since he was very young, and while he had certainly grown since then, he still maintained many habits from his youth. The young man in question sipped his coffee, wiping the sleep from his eyes with his free hand.

"Thank you, Watari," L finally spoke after another few sips from the warm cup in his hand. "It's been a while since I've slept that well."

The older man chuckled and grabbed a tray of fruit from a metal cart, placing it on the table where the cup had previously been. "I'd hardly say that four hours is a decent amount of sleep, Ryuuzaki. You really ought to try and regulate your schedule a bit better. The bags under your eyes are just dreadful."

L shrugged him off and plucked a strawberry from the platter. "I've become accustomed to it by now. I can sleep once Kira is brought to justice."

Watari made no move to respond and instead nodded before turning to walk away with the cart. It had been a very long time since the first day of this case, and it was quite evident in L. He was drained both emotionally and physically, and yet Kira seemed no closer to being proven and persecuted. Even the task force would murmur about how L seemed ready to keel over at any minute, whether it be from exhaustion, stress, or illness.

The door softly clicked shut behind Watari, and L let out a gravelly sigh, glancing up at the computer screens on the wall. There were surveillance cameras across the entire building and around the perimeter as well, so why—?

L bolted forward, the remains of his coffee sloshing dangerously close to the edge of his mug. One by one, the screens were going black. The lights were still on; it couldn't be a power outage. L hurriedly shuffled over to the desk and stared as the remaining cameras shut down. Were they being sabotaged, or was it something less ominous?

L pressed a slender finger down on the intercom button. "Watari, can you explain this? Why have the security cameras shut down? Are the motion detectors off as well?"

"…"

Silence. Watari had access to communication with L at all times, and it wasn't like him to oversee a situation like this. Any idea of this being a coincidence left the detective's mind, and a solemnity came over him. Perhaps this was Kira's way of sealing off L's fate, trapped in his own headquarters.

A frown replaced L's blank expression, his voice edging with growing concern. "Watari!"

A sharp click followed by a familiar voice came from behind him, "Not exactly."

L knew better than to whirl around, which would be the common reaction for most people. Instead he closed his eyes and relaxed his tense stance. Without turning to face his attacker or even looking up to see a reflection on the screens, he knew there was a gun being pointed at his head. And yet, even with this knowledge, L let out a dry, humorless chuckle. "I don't think holding someone at gunpoint is exactly a standard introduction, Mihael."

Mello visibly flinched and gripped the gun with more force. He assumed that L knew the names of all the children, but it was still a bitter shock to hear it spoken for the first time since his arrival at Wammy's House, nearly twenty years ago. "I don't think using my first name is a standard first impression," he snapped back, realizing too late the severity of his tone. Of course. L probably knew that he didn't go by his birth name, but had nothing else to call him. The two of them had never spoken—it wasn't exactly the detective's fault. He let out a frustrated exhale and muttered, "It's 'Mello', now."

It was only then that L turned to look at his number two successor face-to-face for the first time in either of their lives. L knew what Mello looked like from the pictures in the private file with all of his information kept at the orphanage. However, the photograph had been taken when Mello was just a kid—and the person standing in front of him was no child. In addition to this, the behavior reports he would receive from Roger, the manager at Wammy's, gave him a relatively clear idea on what to expect from Mello. He was dangerous.

However, this was the first time Mello had laid eyes on the man he had been led to believe his whole life was a god. He was not surprised, nor was he seeing exactly what he had pictured, either; for some reason, L's bizarre appearance seemed to fall perfectly into place. The blond's expression softened and he lowered his gun, maintaining eye contact with L. "We're going to be staying a while."

L's response wasn't a question: "Mail."

"_Yo. _I go by Matt, okay?"

Mello turned in slight surprise to the sight of Matt casually leaning in the doorway. The teenager didn't seem nearly as fazed by L's presence as Mello was—Matt was in third because he was incredibly intelligent, and achieved high scores on the "Board" without really trying. He wasn't aiming to be L's successor like the rest of the residents at the orphanage; rather, Matt was more interested in having fun and hanging out with Mello. The auburn headed teen in question chortled and adjusted his goggles. "Sorry about the cameras and shit, by the way. Had to get in without triggering all the alarms." He offered the two others in front of him a smirk and added, "And by the way, Wammy is fine. I just cut the communication and locked him inside some closet. Let him know 'no hard feelings' for me?"

Mello gaped at his friend, whereas L was wearing what could almost be described as a smile, if it were not for the pained expression on the rest of his features. "Let him out, if you don't mind, Matt. And…ah, Mello, yes?" L shuffled back over to the couch to snatch a chunk of cantaloupe from the platter of fruit, as if nothing had happened. "I can only assume why you are here unannounced."

Matt disappeared behind the corner, laughing to himself. Mello stood awkwardly for a moment before sitting himself on the edge of a chair across L. L glanced up curiously at the sound of the distinctive squeak of leather. A closer look revealed exactly how much the formerly young boy had changed since he had arrived at the orphanage, when L first got a hold of his documents. His hair, which had previously framed his face in a neat bob, was now ragged and straighter in appearance. The cotton shirt and pants were switched for a strikingly bold leather vest, pants, and shoes. And though it was only an accessory around his neck, perhaps the most prominent feature was the rosary swaying low across his chest.

But perhaps there was one thing that hadn't changed, the detective mused, reaching for another morsel of his breakfast. Mello's eyes, though more sinister and sharper now, were the same blue they had been when he was just a boy.

Mello shifted uncomfortably under L's judging gaze, and pulled out a partially eaten bar of chocolate from the inside of his pocket, snapping off a corner of it and sucking on the bitter flavor as he stared back at the man across him. "Look," he finally began, leaning back in an effort to look less unnerved than he felt. "You know why we're here. The Kira case isn't exactly a secret throughout the world, let alone Japan. It's been going on for long enough. You may not admit it, L, but I think you are at a dead end and you need help. That's the reason."

Almost as if he hadn't even heard, L licked the juice off of his fingers and placed a thumb to his lips. He had been doing it in front of the task force for so long now, it had become a habit without so much as a thought towards it. "I can't say I'm surprised," he responded dully. "I understand the appeal from your perspective. However…

"I know that you are very well aware of the risks of this case. Thousands have already died, and I am extremely fortunate that I myself have not been killed up until now. I believe having you and Matt involved in this case will be detrimental," the detective stated bluntly. Mello wasn't sure whether to feel angry or surprised. "I'm not an idiot, Mello. I know you don't plan to back out on this. I just hope you will reconsider, for both your sake and for the rest of the people who have been working with me to hunt down Kira."

The young man across L sat silent for a second more before a malicious grin tugged at the corners of his mouth. A short laugh escaped his lips. "You're damn right. My whole life I've been working my ass off to maybe have a chance of replacing you, but like hell I'm going to wait until you're dead before I work in your field. I've waited long enough. You might not like it, but I've earned my fucking right to work with L, and if I die…well, it's not like it's the worst thing that could happen." Mello's dark smile faltered and he swallowed loudly, head falling once again. "But you never had to deal with that, did you? You were God, and have been all this time."

L stood and slowly made his way to the stairs. He paused at the bottom and, without looking at Mello, answered, "The problem with playing God is that in itself. I'm not God, Mello. In fact…" L paused, running a hand through his unkempt hair. "I think that soon enough, you'll find that the two of us are more similar than a deity and his follower would be."


	3. III-Enter Suspicion

**Author's Note**—Thanks again to my lovely betareader, Annalisse Rubisher!

In case any of my readers are confused regarding what the differences between my AU and what is canon are, here's an explanation.

These events take place almost immediately before L is killed by the Death Note. We'll see Misa and Rem come into play soon again. Admittedly, I'll need to brush up on the central plot a bit before Chapter Four comes out!

Now, my AU fucks it up. **Light is entirely aware of his actions at this point.** He does not currently have the Death Note in his possession, however. Misa is currently holding it for him, and she will soon be introduced into the spotlight, away from the current main characters. L knows that there are supernatural forces involved in how Kira kills, **but he does not know about shinigami quite yet.** I will have Ryuuku and Rem be introduced in future chapters, and things will start to make a bit more sense regarding the canon plot.

Also, don't forget Near's going to be a part of this too! He won't come in for a while, but don't forget about him! He'll be very plot relevant soon.

* * *

**At the Price of Oblivion**

III – Enter Suspicion

* * *

"Good morning, Ryuuzaki," Light greeted L in a friendly, yet monotone voice. They had become accustomed to the routine of being civil to one another, although it was incredibly obvious to everyone around the pair that neither young man favored the other. Initially, Light and the rest of the task force only found L to be eccentric and a bit awkward to be around. But as time went on, Light and most of the task force grew to silently dislike the detective.

Of course, this was never spoken of aloud. Every man there had an inner sense of satisfaction from working on one of the biggest criminal cases they had ever witnessed, not to mention the pride that came from knowing they had worked with the famous L.

However, with Light Yagami, the neutral relationship he maintained with L was for a different cause altogether. Their game of cat and mouse was a twisted paradox; each saw the other as both the predator and the prey. It seemed that these two sides of justice were chasing each other around a circular staircase—going up and down all at the same time, evenly matched and unable to win.

L did not respond aloud, as he was lost in thought. He offered a brief nod while his bulging eyes remained glued to the information on his computer screen.

Light's expression shifted to one of distaste, and he turned back to his mug of coffee. It wasn't L's lack of manners that irked him. He'd gotten used to it long ago—rather, seeing the hunched over 'world-renowned detective' intensely examining what was more than likely nothing of importance was, in Light's mind, pitiful. Perhaps L really did think he would be able to catch Kira, which made the sight even more of a laughing matter. The controversial criminal who killed in the name of justice, Light Yagami himself, walked over to a window and looked over the massive city around their building. He remembered when he had first received the Death Note, given to him by Ryuuku. Having a shinigami around was at times helpful, but thankfully the annoyingly mischievous death god would be at Light's side less and less over time. Looking back at that fateful day, he realized he was but a child, wanting something to break the monotony in his life. He had fancied the idea of becoming a god, but that was then.

_Now…_Light smiled, sipping the bitter, warm beverage in his hand. _I don't need to worry over trivial things like that. I've been God all along._

The young man's reverie was brought to an abrupt halt at the sound of a sharp, condescending voice coming from the opposite side of the room. "L, who the hell is this?"

The detective didn't bother to turn from his research. His thumb briefly retreated from his lips to respond, "_Ryuuzaki_, Mello. That is Light Yagami. He's the son of Soichiro Yagami, who I believe you've met. He's working with us on the case."

Light gave the leather-clad mafioso a long, hard, stare. What a joke. This idiot had the nerve to talk about him as if he weren't even in the room—and with a tone like that? A well-practiced smile quickly graced Light's features, and he walked over to Mello to offer his hand. "Hi, I'm Light," he greeted cheerfully. He was having difficulty comprehending the arrogance that was practically oozing from this lanky, punk-looking blond. Although…it was a bit of a surprise that L had allowed him to enter the building—which, as much as he hated to admit, was something L was intelligent enough to allow with high caution. This guy had to have some sort of genius ability, which sent Light's mental guard on alert.

Mello glanced at Light's hand without shaking it. A disbelieving scowl crossed his face. "You're working on the case, huh? What do you do?"

Light dropped his hand along with the smile he wore. Apparently it was no use to try and win over this 'Mello'. Having him as an added factor could prove to be problematic, Light mused, cocking his head ever so slightly as he examined the character in front of him. After all, L undoubtedly had him here for a reason. L was desperate to catch Kira, and if he thought having Mello assisting him would help, that was enough to be a concern. But could this guy really be a threat? The hardcore image he wore seemed to be a façade used in order to hide how young and inexperienced he probably was. Light had to hold back a grimace at how obnoxiously bold the man's outfit was. He cleared his throat, realizing he was taking too long to respond. "I help L research and examine leads we may get. Any unusual death patterns, anonymous letters, things like that." He paused, taking another sip of his coffee. "I might ask you a similar question. It doesn't seem like L to allow just anyone on his case."

L rolled his eyes, out of sight of the bickering young men behind him. What a bold statement to make, he thought to himself, shaking his head. Light had built up his own perception of L, and it was almost disappointing to see how confident he was in it. Someone as intelligent as Light ought to know better than to have a truly solid assumption.

Mello didn't bother to hide the evident sarcasm in his response. "I'd share, but it's too bad I don't think that information is crucial whatsoever to you. Besides…" Mello grinned and picked up a bar of chocolate he'd left on the table earlier, tearing away the thin foil from it. "I don't trust you. For all I know, you could be Kira yourself, hm?"

Light's eyebrow twitched, threatening a loss of his temper. No wonder L had brought this guy here—they were alarmingly similar; even though Mello's tongue was far sharper and dripping with a combination of sarcasm and malice, his base personality mimicked L's. _Trust no one. Only help others when it brings benefit._ Light's grip around the handle of his mug tightened ever so slightly, his gaze locked on the tauntingly casual man across the room from him. He would most definitely have to get a better background on Mello. He could prove to be a problem. But would killing him right away do more harm than good?

"Whoa, dude, you okay?" Light startled at the unexpected voice. Matt stood to his side, expression a cross between amused and wary. He held a croissant in his hand and took a bit out of it, continuing to speak with crumbs flying from his lips. "You're, like, trembling. Maybe you should lay off the coffee."

Mello let out a dry chuckle from the table and snapped off a piece of chocolate, walking over to where L sat at his computer and commenting on something too quiet for Light to hear. His irritation only rose as he met eyes with the wily teen confronting him. "I'm fine," he answered curtly. "It's just early. I'm not exactly a morning person."

Matt shrugged it off and offered the now highly frustrated Light a quick grin before heading back to the kitchen, where Watari was no doubt preparing something of interest. Light watched Matt's retreating figure before letting out a soft exhale. He needed to relax—being stressed this early in the day wouldn't help. This was admittedly an unexpected and undesirable added factor, but a little time to think would undoubtedly solve this dilemma.

Earlier that morning, he'd caught a glimpse of a bright red sports car in the underground parking. It had to belong to either Mello or that kid with the goggles, Light realized. The deaths of Matt and Mello could easily be manipulated to be seen as nothing more than an unfortunate reckless driving accident.

But at the same time, it was only the first day of having them involved with the Kira case. It was unlikely that having these two new members would have a detrimental effect on keeping his identity safe, and killing them so quickly would most certainly raise suspicion. But even still… Light glanced over at the two men lost in their research, or whatever the hell they were actually doing. Mello gave Light a bad vibe. He seemed dangerous and not the type of person Light needed to be dealing with. This was a relatively critical point in his plan to have L killed, but seeing as the events leading to the outcome had been drastically altered, he would more than likely have to postpone it even further.

The detective in question could very nearly feel Light's harsh stare without having to verify this fact. Light, though he was very secretive, didn't seem to be aware that he often displayed his emotions on his face relatively openly. His expression would shift into a glare and then flip back to a smile seconds later, as if no one had noticed. Perhaps it was just coincidence, but if so, it was laughable. L had little doubt in his mind that Light was Kira—he'd suspected it from the very beginning, and his suspicion only grew over time. The only thing he needed was solid evidence—something that had been evading him skillfully during the entire expanse of the case. L's eyebrows slightly furrowed and he let out a soft exhale. This case seemed to be going either nowhere or at full speed towards a dead end, and it was frustrating. People were continuously dying at the hands of Kira, and if something was not done, it would likely be L's life next.

Mello, who still stood next to L, was a bit surprised to see how intense the man had gotten all of a sudden. The sharp contrast of the white shirt and black hair mixed with the dangerously unreadable expression all added up to L right then. The man usually looked nothing more than silly, if not a bit uncomfortable to be in the presence of. But, Mello realized as he grew uneasy, this was different. He almost was intimidating. _If looks could kill_, Mello mused, leaning against the desk, _I doubt anyone would see it coming from L._

None of the three noticed just how silent the room was, each deeply lost within their own thoughts. And yet, if there were an outsider looking on, there was one thing that stood out: both Mello and Light's gazes were locked on none other than L. One wished death, and the other didn't know what he wished just yet.

* * *

Matt leaned against the balcony railing with a long exhale of smoke. "So, how're things going with L—uh, Ryuuzaki?"

Mello sighed and took a drag from his own cigarette. Arriving at L's headquarters had increased his stress levels significantly, and while he had hoped to be done with smoking altogether, he'd gone through a whole pack within the past two days. He'd only gone through one chocolate bar in comparison—something unusual for the blond. Surprisingly, L hadn't yet commented on the smell that was undoubtedly lingering in the building from the addition of two smokers in the building. "Nothing yet, really," he responded, breathing out slowly. "I really don't like that Light guy, though. I don't know what his problem is, but he's always staring at either me or Ryuuzaki."

Matt laughed. "Maybe he's gay."

Mello shot Matt a warning glance, the latter raising his hands up defensively with another amused chuckle. Mello was extremely uneasy at the moment and perhaps even _nervous_. He wasn't sure whether it was just the new environment, the fact that he was in the presence of the man he grew up idolizing, or the dreadfully tense environment the rest of the task force was creating for him.

The mafioso's image wasn't helping with the situation, either. The older men of the group frowned upon his image relatively openly, and the girl, Misa—well, she was too enthusiastic for Mello's taste. All these people were wearing on his nerves, something he hadn't experienced in years. All of the residents of Wammy's House were afraid of Mello, and gave him his space without being asked twice. Here, Mello was the awkward outsider who didn't seem to fit in whatsoever. Hell, Matt and Watari were the only ones there who even gave him the time of day—L was polite, but nothing more. Mello had originally come in hopes of being able to help L with the case and speed up the capture of Kira, but so far things had been both unproductive and uncomfortable. He felt increasingly awkward when interacting with L, almost as if he were a child again, unable to do anything but admire from afar. It was frustrating.

Before arriving at L's headquarters, Mello had even gone as far as daydreaming about what their interactions would be like. All hopes of a friendship or even respect seemed futile at this point, he thought to himself with another long hit from his cigarette. This hadn't been anything like he'd predicted. If he wanted anything to change, he'd have to talk to L.

"Matt," the blond broke the silence and glanced over to his friend. "I'm going to—"

"Go and talk to L because you don't feel like you're helping to catch Kira," Matt finished, an all-knowing grin on his face. "Mello, I've known you long enough and probably better than you know yourself. I can read you like a book, you know. And don't even bullshit me, because I know that's what you're thinking. Just go in there; he's on his lunch break, anyway."

Mello scowled halfheartedly and crushed the butt of his cigarette with his heel, muttering obscenities under his breath before hesitantly reaching out to good naturedly ruffle Matt's hair, just like he did when they were younger. Their relationship had certainly changed over the past several years, but some things had stayed the same.

The door slid open and Mello walked back inside, shutting it behind him. Matsuda walked past him with a smile and instant noodles in one hand. Mello didn't bother to initiate conversation—so far, Matsuda didn't seem to be intelligent whatsoever and didn't appear worth the trouble—and cautiously headed over to where L had been since morning, hunched over his computer at his desk.

"Yes?" L asked before the successor-to-be had even gotten close to where he sat. Mello flinched (why was he so nervous?) and sheepishly sped up his pace.

"I wanted to talk," he answered, running a hand through his hair in an effort to hide his discomfort. God damn, why was someone like L so intimidating? Mello didn't remember ever being scared once in his life—he was always the alpha male, even when dealing with the Japanese Mafia. And yet, it was a man physically frail and only a few years his senior that had him with butterflies in his stomach like a teenage boy before prom. "About the case. It doesn't seem to be going anywhere."

"I understand your frustration," the detective responded curtly, inhaling deeply and turning to face Mello. He sighed. "Unfortunately, Kira is highly intelligent and though it is illogical, it is extremely likely that a supernatural force is at play here. We are only human, and therefore we are at a disadvantage, Mello. I'm afraid you'll have to get used to that fact."

Mello's stomach churned. "But," he sputtered, a slightly flabbergasted expression taking over his features. "L—Ryuuzaki—I came here to help you on the case! But with what has been going on so far, it doesn't seem like me or Matt can even do anything. I don't think you can, either."

L laughed humorlessly and looked up at the blond with a frighteningly ghastly smile. "Of course not. Not really. I know who Kira is, but so far it has proven damn near impossible to find the proof I need. But I am only human, Mello, and I know that if I do not capture Kira, I will be the next to die. Wouldn't that be enough for you to keep trying?"

Mello felt a chill run down his spine as he looked down to meet eyes with the detective, still sitting in the chair—only for the first time since he had arrived, L sat upright and was lacking his usual goofy expression. This was a darker and perhaps even more human image of L. A man fearing the claws of death, desperation being the only thing keeping him searching for his assassin. Mello gritted his teeth and tried to say something back to L, anything. But his words seemed to fail him as a lump rose in his throat. He didn't know if it was from anger, frustration, or a combination of everything he was feeling from this case, but he was only able to turn and walk away silently, L watching as he did.


End file.
